Museum receives new NEA grant

June 1st, 2011

Ithaca, NY—The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art has received a grant from the
National Endowment for the Arts for $60,000 over two years to support the reinstallation and reinterpretation of the
permanent collection of European and American art, from ancient times to the
present. The Johnson Museum is one of 1,145 not-for-profit national, regional, state, and local organizations
recommended for a grant as part of the federal agency’s
second round of fiscal year 2011 grants. In total, the Arts Endowment will distribute
more
than $88 million to
support projects nationwide.

“The
main goal of this project is to make the Museum’s display of European and
American art more complete and more accessible visually and educationally to
visitors,” said Andrew C. Weislogel, associate curator and master teacher at
the Johnson Museum, who will oversee the project. “We want to present for our
visitors the most complete picture possible of European and American art—their
key concepts and historical developments—through thought-provoking
juxtapositions of quality works, an emphasis on flexibility, variety, and
inclusiveness, and engaging and effective interpretation.” The increased
incorporation of selections from our collection of more than 20,000 works on
paper into many galleries, protected from undue light exposure via low light
levels, special exhibition cases, and an exacting rotation schedule, is a key
strategy for achieving this goal.

In
addition to augmenting and improving lighting and exhibition furniture, new
interpretive materials will be created to engage and inform a variety of
visitors. To bring in perspectives from around the Cornell campus, key works
will receive additional labels written by professors from a variety of
disciplines (for example, a horticulture professor identifying flower varieties
in a Dutch still life painting). Interpretive materials will also incorporate
information gleaned from visitor surveys and interviews about what visitors
most want to learn about works of art. In addition, certain permanent
collection works will receive special treatment as new stops on an
NEA-supported cell phone audio tour, already in place for the Museum’s Asian
collections; this audio tour will permit visitors to offer feedback as they
tour the galleries.

The
project represents the continuation of a phased reinstallation project. The
Museum’s building expansion, scheduled to be completed and open to the public
in 2011, will allow the Museum both to exhibit more of the collection and to
provide more spacious housing for works of art in an expanded storage facility.
The recent renovation of the Museum’s Asian art galleries was generously
supported by NEA and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

An
independent agency of the federal government, the
National Endowment for the Arts advances artistic excellence,
creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. NEA
Chairman Rocco Landesman said, “NEA research shows that three out of four
Americans participate in the arts. The diverse, innovative, and exceptional
projects funded in this round will ensure that Americans around the country
continue to have the opportunity to experience and participate in the arts.”

The
Johnson Museum has a permanent collection of over 35,000 works of art from
Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. The museum building was
designed by I. M. Pei. Funds for the building were donated by Cornell alumnus
Herbert F. Johnson, late president and chairman of S C Johnson. The building
opened in 1973.

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The
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, located on the campus of Cornell University,
is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free. The
Museum is accessible for mobility-impaired visitors, and a wheelchair is
available in the lobby. Metered parking is available in the lot next to the
Museum. For more information, please call 607 255-6464. Visit the Museum’s
website at museum.cornell.edu.
The Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art is a member of Ithaca’s Discovery Trail: www.DiscoveryTrail.com.

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The National Endowment for the Arts
was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal
government. To date, the NEA has awarded
more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation
for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through
partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and
the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit
the NEA at arts.gov.